Clocks will go back one hour starting Thursday night at midnight, two days before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The time change will last from 27 June until 1 August.

Ramadan is expected to begin on 29 June, according to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics.

Daylight saving time was first adopted in Egypt in 1988 as a way to reduce electricity consumption. The energy ministry later submitted a study to the cabinet showing the move had no impact on energy consumption.

In April 2011, the cabinet headed by then prime minister Essam Sharaf endorsed a decree cancelling daylight saving time.

However, Egypt switched back to daylight saving time on 15 May.

Standard time in Egypt is GMT (UTC) + 2 and GMT + 3 during daylight saving time